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Patrick McCaw has been mired in one heck of a sophomore slump. The swingman hasn’t been providing the Golden State Warriors with the defense, playmaking, or shooting that the team envisioned after he had a hot Summer League and preseason.
So McCaw had a solution: The G-League. McCaw is accepting an assignment to the Santa Cruz Warriors, and it wasn’t mandated by the team. Instead, it was his idea.
Patrick McCaw discusses his recent struggles and decision to seek tune-up minutes in the G-League pic.twitter.com/7h7hu9e0pX
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 7, 2018
“I just asked if I could go down there and get some consistent run in, get up and down, get my conditioning right” McCaw told reporters on Wednesday. “Just play. For me, that’s all I really want to do. Just go down to the G-League, get some reps in, and stay ready.”
McCaw added that it should be a lot of fun to be playing in the G-League, and said that he’ll be looking to get his rhythm back. He added that his main goal is to “play free” and “get back to myself.”
The second-year wing admitted that he hates making mistakes, and that the pressure of trying to achieve that in the NBA has been hard for him. He suggested that the G-League will provide him an opportunity to find a balance for that mindset, with one that doesn’t result in him being too much in his head.
While the decision was McCaw’s, he noted that coach Steve Kerr is supportive of the decision. “He was happy for me” McCaw said of Kerr. “He was excited. He was glad I brought it up.”
To say McCaw is struggling would be a little bit of an understatement. On the year, he’s averaging 3.7 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game, while shooting 24.6% from three-point range. He hasn’t made a three-pointer since the start of the calendar year, and hasn’t scored a point in three February contests.
Still, Kerr and the coaching staff seem to be confident that McCaw can work through his struggles, as he’s receiving more minutes per game than any bench player other than Andre Iguodala. Clearly they see some attainable upside.
Hopefully a stint in Santa Cruz will help that upside occur. This bench sure could use McCaw.